And coming up this half hour and this hour, there are really some very tense moments in the George Zimmerman trial. We're going to take a look at the showdown between a key state witness and the defense.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEANTEL: Trayvon got hit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't know that, do you?

JEANTEL: No, sir. He could --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't know that Trayvon got hit? You don't know that Trayvon didn't at that moment take his fist and drive it into George Zimmerman face?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please lower your voice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you?

JEANTEL: No, sir.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: We'll have a live report on that coming up in just moments.

CUOMO: We're hearing about Aaron Hernandez, right? But it turns out that the problem in the NFL could go beyond him. Why? More than two dozen of its players have been arrested since this year's Super Bowl. What's going on with the league?

PEREIRA: But we've got some pop news this Friday. Why you shouldn't mess with Alec Baldwin. The actor lost it on Twitter. A profanity laced tirade will tell you what sent him off, coming up.

BOLDUAN: But first this hour, a new leak scandal in Washington, did a top general at the Pentagon provide sensitive material for a new book?

Retired Marine General James Cartwright is now the focus of a Justice Department investigation. He's the former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Barbara Starr is live at the Pentagon for us this morning. Barbara, what's the latest?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kate.

Look, this is not just any general. General Cartwright was one of President Obama closest advisers, an expert in nuclear weapons and cyber warfare, very much regarded as an intellectual and now under investigation for potentially giving classified information to a journalist. We have confirmed he is under investigation for material related to David Sanger's book, "The New York Times" journalist who wrote the book "Confront and Conceal", about Iran's nuclear program. NBC reported on this story detailed it is about the Stuxnet virus, one of the crown jewels of U.S. intelligence. It was an effort back in 2010 to insert a computer virus into Iran's nuclear facilities to try and slow down their program, to enrich nuclear fuel.

Now, this retired four-star under investigation for potentially having leaked this information. He is not charged yet -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Four-star general. Shocking to many. Under investigation. Not charged in the investigation and it's not over yet.

Barbara, thank you.

Chris?

CUOMO: Strong point, Kate. Just an investigation, but on some level. This is really hard to believe.

So, let's bring in CNN national security analyst Fran Townsend. Fran, thank you very much for being here.

Let's start off on the personal. You know General James Cartwright. Knowing him the way you do, putting it into context, what is your reaction here?

FRAN TOWNSEND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I must say, Chris, Hoss Cartwright -- his nickname is Hoss -- is a marine's marine. This is a -- he made his way through the Marine Corps because he was a very sort of -- he's a very bright guy but a real rules guy, a real leader, a very strong leader. It really is almost unimaginable to me that Haas would do something like this.

CUOMO: Just an investigation. No charges.

TOWNSEND: Right.

CUOMO: I'll just keep repeating it. But still, just the suggestion.

TOWNSEND: Yes, it's really shocking to me. This is not the sort of thing -- Haas was not a shoot from the hip guy. Not a sort of aggrandizing soldier. I mean, he's a real patriot.

CUOMO: And then just looking at this category of rank, I mean, a leak from this high up would be very unheard of, no?

TOWNSEND: Look, at that level of government whether it's the White House or the pentagon, all of those sorts of senior ranking officials have relationships with reporters and the media.

But it's because of the nature of the technical program -- let's remember Haas Cartwright was the commander StratCom, which was responsible for the cyber strategy and capability originally. He understood this program and value of it and importance of it and notion that he would leak it really frankly is inconceivable to me because he was in a position to understand the damage that would do.

CUOMO: If true, how damaging to our national security is it?

TOWNSEND: Well, very damaging. Look, on two levels, one, what you've signaled to your enemies the vector of attack telling them how to defend themselves and, two, you run the risk that once they know that, they'll take that capability, tweak it, and turn it back against you.

CUOMO: The suggestion from a lawmaker that the idea that if this happened, if this leak happened from this man, it had to be authorized. Is that just a political snipe or is there anything to it?

TOWNSEND: Well, I do have to wonder. Look, one, he's hired Greg Craig, who is not only a well-respected Washington lawyer who I also know but former White House council in this administration. And frankly, when I think about what could possibly motivate Haas Cartwright to speak to the press, you have to say to yourself the only reason he would have done it because the policymakers believe there was some advantage to having it out there.

CUOMO: But the person who made the suggestion was former Attorney General Mike Mukasey. But it's still kind of -- there's no there there on that speculation. Just because the guy's lawyer work in the White House, there's no dots to connect there yet.

TOWNSEND: That's exactly right. And, as you say, this is an investigation that nothing -- there's no charges yet. It certainly hasn't been completed. We have to see where this goes.

BOLDUAN: Let's talk about Texas right now. A very personal war of words brewing between Governor Rick Perry and a rising star in the state's Democratic Party. Wendy Davis used a 12, maybe even more hour filibustered to help end a state bill restricting abortion.

Now, Rick Perry is trying to use her own past against her.

CNN's Athena Jones is in Washington with the latest. This is getting interesting, Athena.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is. Good morning, Kate. This is more than just a political battle. It's a personal one that as you mentioned is really heating up. Governor Perry is now using strong language targeting Davis herself.

GOV. RICK PERRY (R). TEXAS: What we witnessed Tuesday was nothing more than the hijacking of the Democratic process.

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)

JONES: Cheered on by supporters the mother of two and her now famous pink shoes filibustered her way onto the world stage this week.

WENDY DAVIS (D-TX), STATE SENATOR: Tot speak for an extended period of time on the bill.

JONES: Speaking for more than ten hours to stop a bill that would restrict most abortions and close most clinics in the state. Davis is being hailed as a hero on social media and by Taiwanese animators.

The Republican governor approached Davis in very personal terms.

PERRY: She was a teenage mother herself. It's just unfortunate that she hasn't learned from her own example, that every life must be given a chance to realize its full potential and that every life matters.

JONES: Davis called the comments, quote, "without dignity", saying, "They are small words that reflect a dark and negative point of view. Our governor should reflect our Texas values. Sadly, Governor Perry fails that test."

Governor Perry has ordered the legislature to reconvene Monday to take up the abortion bill again. This time he vows it will pass.

Davis says if it does --

DAVIS: The reaction to it won't be a partisan one. It's a reaction coming from Republicans, independents and Democrats alike, which is saying, Governor Perry, Lieutenant Governor Dewhurst, stay out of my private decision-making.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: So will Davis filibuster the bill again? She told Anderson Cooper the timing worked out well this time because the bill didn't come until the last day of session. Next time they can take away the chances to filibuster just by introducing it earlier. We'll be watching -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: We will be watching. And it does appear that the political reality in Texas is not in Wendy Davis' favor at this point.

Athena Jones, thanks so much. Great to see you.

JONES: Thanks.

CUOMO: All right. Some tense moments in the George Zimmerman trial as the state's star witness took the stand for a second straight day. Rachel Jeantel was the last person to hear Trayvon Martin alive. Defense attorneys zeroed in on any consistencies on her testimony and things frequently did get contentious.

CNN's George Howell is live in Sanford, Florida. What did you make of the situation, George? GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Chris, good morning. You know, many people saying not exactly the perfect witness. We're talking about a person here who admitted to lying about why she didn't go to the funeral. She told jurors that certain words that many people believed to be racial slurs she didn't. But when it came to this concept when she was challenged that it was her friend, Trayvon Martin, who started the fight, Jeantel fought back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL (voice-over): Day four in the trial against George Zimmerman started as Rachel Jeantel take two. A key witness for the state who appeared Wednesday to be emotional, one moment, combative the next. What a difference a day makes.

DON WEST, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Are you OK this morning?

JEANTEL: Yes.

WEST: You seem so different than yesterday. Just checking. Did someone talk to you last night about your demeanor in court yesterday?

JEANTEL: No. I went to sleep.

HOWELL: A more subdued Jeantel endured more than three hours of meticulous questioning from defense attorney Don West, who challenged the 19-year-old's account of what she heard when she was on the cell phone with Trayvon Martin, a little more than a minute before the fatal shooting.

JEANTEL: Trayvon got hit.

WEST: You don't know that, do you?

JEANTEL: No, sir.

WEST: You don't know Trayvon got hit.

JEANTEL: He could --

WEST: You don't know that Trayvon didn't at that moment take his fist and drive it into George Zimmerman's face.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please lower your voice.

WEST: Do you?

JEANTEL: No, sir.

HOWELL: But moments later, when asked the same question during the grilling, the teen held firm to her account of who attacked who.

WEST: I thought, in fact, that you said that it could have been, for all you know, Trayvon Martin smashing George Zimmerman in the face is what you actually heard?

JEANTEL: What?

WEST: Yes. Just earlier today.

JEANTEL: By who?

WEST: By you.

JEANTEL: You didn't get that from me.

HOWELL: The next witness, Jenna Lauer, the woman whose 911 call captured exact moment Trayvon Martin was shot and killed. Defense attorney Mark O'Mara questioned about who she thought was screaming on the tape.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLP)

(YELLING

911: So you think he's yelling help?

CALLER: Yes.

911: All right. What is your --

(GUNSHOT)

(END AUDIO CLIP)

MARK O'MARA, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Did it seem like the screams of somebody who was getting beat up?

JENNA LAUER, WITNESS: They were being hurt somehow, yes.

O'MARA: Maybe somebody who was having this done to them?

LAUER: It's possible.

HOWELL: The final testimony of the day came from a witness who said she heard the gunshot and saw two people on the ground.

Selma Mora testified with the help of a Spanish translator that she remembered seeing the man on top wearing a red and black jacket, the same jacket George Zimmerman was wearing.

O'MARA: There was a person crouching down over another person?

SELMA MORA, WITNESS: Correct (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Correct.

HOWELL: George Howell, CNN, Sanford, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: So, Rachel Jeantel could be called back to the stand at some point. Court here expected to start here in a little more than 45 minutes. We could hear from more witnesses, neighbors and possibly investigators about exactly what happened on February 26th, 2012.

BOLDUAN: All right. Thanks so much. We'll be watching that closely as we have every day of this trial so far.

CUOMO: It was a big day. There's a little bit of craftsmanship going on with defense counsel trying to get her to make an admission that, yes, Trayvon started the fight. That wasn't a reflection of the record, but it's part of the game of cross-examination.

I have to tell you, though, when you hear the sounds from that night, it reminds you what this is about. At the end of the day, this young man lost his life. It didn't have to happen. Whether there's legal justification, what happens in the trial we'll see, but two lives are affected by this and it brings it home. Important to remember that's what it's about. It's not just a game.

But when you look at finding justice, you have to know who started the situation because George Zimmerman's defense --

BOLDUAN: It's not clear.

CUOMO: It's not. If it were going to be clear, there would have been a plea.

BOLDUAN: Right.

CUOMO: So, that's part of this. That's part of seeking justice.

You only know what you show in court and that's the reality. Rachel Jeantel has done a good job giving inclinations but when that woman said I heard a gunshot, the man on the bottom didn't move and the man on the top did and he was wearing a red and black jacket and that's what George Zimmerman had on that's tough for the defense case to hear.

We'll have to see what happens today. You never know in these trials.

BOLDUAN: No. And they all -- it kind of -- the momentum can ebb and flow for both sides. I'm still not clear whose case Rachel Jeantel's testimony helps more. I'm still not clear on that. And I don't think anyone can really say --

CUOMO: She's the prosecution's witness. They put her there for reason. She's the last one to hear it. She's very strong about what she believes, but we'll have to see how it unfolds.

BOLDUAN: Yes, because it's up to the jury. Absolutely right.

All right. There's a lot of news developing this hour, so let's get straight to Michaela for the latest.

PEREIRA: All right. Here are the headlines of this hour. A law enforcement source says they're now investigating Aaron Hernandez in connection with an unsolved double homicide that happened last year in Boston, and the Bristol County Sheriff told the "Boston Herald" they're now looking for possible gang links in the former New England Patriots tattoos.

Hernandez allegedly orchestrated the killing of his friend, Odin Lloyd, earlier this month. A second suspected connected to the case was arrested in Connecticut, and police are now looking for a third person.

NSA leaker, Edward Snowden's, background check may not have been all that thorough. "The Washington Post" reports federal investigators have evidence that the contractor that screened Snowden for top secret clearance repeatedly misled the government about how thorough their background checks are. In the meantime, Ecuador says it will not bow to U.S. pressure as it decides whether to accept Snowden's request for asylum. He is still believed to be inside an airport trans lounge in Moscow.

New evidence that eating fish may reduce a woman's risk of breast cancer. A study recently published in the British Medical Journal says in order to get the benefits, women need to eat one or two portions of fish, oily fish, every week. That includes salmon, tuna, sardines. The benefits come from the omega 3 fatty acids found in fish.

All right. Prepare to be amazed. Check out this one-handed dunk by high school senior, Christian Torell (ph).

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

PEREIRA (voice-over): -- point out a couple things that makes this impressive. Numero uno! He's only 6'2," which is giant for Kate and I. He got some major air before throwing it down. Number two, look at the guy in the front row. You got to watch his face. His jaw literally falls to the floor and he has to pick it up.

(CROSSTALK)

PEREIRA Watch this guy. He turns around, he's like --

CUOMO (voice-over): See the guy still on the ground. That's the worst place in the world to be. I have been there, ladies and gentlemen.

CUOMO (on-camera): I know. I've been that other guy. I've been that other guy. The guy like this --

BOLDUAN: Oh, the guy in the ground. Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: And then you're laying on the ground and you hope nobody is looking.

BOLDUAN: You should see us when we play a pickup game. I'm all like ah! No, I was kidding.

(LAUGHTER)

CUOMO: You can't. Donuts and --

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN: I can do that really well.

All right. Coming up next on NEW DAY, Paula Deen has given apology after tearful apology, but companies are still dropping her left and right. Now, she's calling in the big guns to rebuild her brand.

CUOMO: Plus, we've all heard of killer bees, but now, there's something that could be dangerous, possibly deadly. Mosquitoes. A new breed posing around, invading major cities. We'll tell you about it when we come back. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: Paula Deen's food empire continues to crumble. Despite tearful apologies, Deen can't shake her admission the use a racial slur in the past. Now, she's going in a crisis mode, hiring some serious help as more companies drop her. CNNs Pamela Brown joins us with the latest. Good morning, Pamela.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Chris and Kate. She's hired a damage control expert to help stop the bleeding, and as the saga continues, celebrity chef, Paula Deen, had another rough day Thursday. First targeted Home Depot bailed on her business deals with her, but that was just the beginning of the day's fallout.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA DEEN, CELEBRITY CHEF: Is that heaven, kids, or what?

BROWN (voice-over): A devastating domino effect for Paula Deen as she's dropped from deal after deal in the wake of the scandal surrounding her admitted past use of racial slurs.

DEEN: Do you mind if I double dip?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, ma'am.

BROWN: Home shopping giant, QVC, announced it's canceling its deal with Deen at least for now. "Paula won't be appearing on any upcoming broadcasts and we will phase out her product assortment, wrote QVC CEO, Mike George. Deen, herself, also wrote a note to QVC viewers saying "We've agreed that it's best for me to step back from QVC and focus on setting things right." And Novo Nordisk, the diabetes drug Deen controversially represented is pushing the pause button on its relationship.

MARVET BRITTO, BRAND STRATEGIST: I think that corporations are just being smart and strategic about stepping away from Paula Deen simply to allow Paula to work and recalibrate her brand.

DEEN: Oh my goodness.

BROWN: Deen had now hired a big gun to help restore her image. Damage control expert, Judy Smith, the inspiration behind ABCs "Scandal" character, Olivia Pope.

BRITTO: I don't think that if Judy Smith doesn't help Paula Deen that no one can. Paula Deen's redemption is going to rest solely on Paula Deen.

BROWN: Civil rights leader, Reverend Jesse Jackson, tweeted his support for the chef Thursday. Paula Deen represents a southern culture of crisis but should not be used as a gotcha solution. And the backlash has galvanized Deen's fans. Her yet to be released cookbook skyrocketed to number one on Amazon.com.

Deen showed her appreciation with this tweet, "I want to express how deeply your kind words have moved me the last few days. Thank you, everyone. And love to all."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN (on-camera): And in a strange twist of mistaken identity, Deen's fans have been inundated the Food Channel with hate mail. Problem is, they're sending those letters to the wrong place. Her deal was with the Food Network. In response, the food channel says it will be opened to having Deen join its network and we've also learned that Deen's PR team has actually contacted the food channel to initiate a conversation. So, we'll see what happens there.

CUOMO: The road continues to wind.

BROWN: Yes, exactly.

BOLDUAN: Fallout not over quite yet. Pamela, great to see you. Thanks so much.

So, we like to talk about the best things about summer. The best thing about summer being with family, hanging out, right, enjoying getting a tan. Whatever you're into. What's the worst thing about summer?

PEREIRA: Sunburn.

BOLDUAN: Close.

CUOMO: Sunburn. Mosquitoes.

BOLDUAN: Mosquitoes.

CUOMO: That's the answer.

BOLDUAN: That's the answer.

CUOMO: Ding, ding, ding.

BOLDUAN: They're going to be even worse this year. Berman is here with that bad news.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're breeding earlier than normal and not just any mosquito. This is a mosquito invasion from a breed that is more aggressive it hangs out in daylight and is much harder to kill. This is just what you wanted to hear heading into this summer weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN (voice-over): They're black and white and striped all over and they want to suck your blood. Asian tiger mosquitoes with a seemingly unquenchable thirst may be invading major cities all along the east coast this summer. This year's wet and warm weather has left behind pools of standing water, the ideal breeding ground for these striped pests.

GENE KRITSKY, PROFESSOR OF SOCIOLOGY, COLLEGE OF MT. ST. JOSEPH: With all of the rains and of course people's busy lives are probably not draining areas around the house where water can collect like inside tires and flower pots and gutters and that's going to give these mosquitoes ample opportunity to increase their population this summer.

BERMAN: The irritating insects are more aggressive than your average mosquito. They're known to bite all day and all night long and carry up to 20 diseases including West Nile virus, two types of encephalitis, and a flu-like disease not yet present in America called chikungunya.

KRITSKY: People can feel perfectly and have the virus and have it spread through exposure of the mosquito. A lot of the other viral diseases in many cases it's harder for it to spread.

KRITSKY: The thing we should be aware (ph) to know this that it's possible to lessen your risk of exposure and that it be to wear a long sleeves and long pants when you go outside in areas where there are large mosquito populations and use deep repellants.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN (on-camera): You know, so, one of the problems here is you can't spray for these mosquitoes easily. The normal ones breed in marshes and swamps. So, you know where to find them and eliminate them on mass. These guys breed in puddles and small patches of water like drains. So, you can't possibly spray for all of them at once. So, Michaela, turtlenecks, long sleeves, bug repellent keys.

BOLDUAN: You know what's even worse, seeing those mosquitoes --

(CROSSTALK)

BOLDUAN: Show that shot again.

(CROSSTALK)

BERMAN: They're everywhere. They're everywhere.

BOLDUAN: All right. Happy Friday, everybody.

BERMAN: Happy Friday.

CUOMO: Coming up on NEW DAY, more than two dozen NFL players have been arrested since the Super Bowl. So, one of the -- you know, we're talking about Aaron Hernandez, but is there something else here? The question is, does the league have a problem on its hands? We'll take a look at it.

BOLDUAN: Yes. We're going to take a look at that.

And also, later, another Twitter tirade from Alec Baldwin. This one was so nasty his account was taken down.